ESPN writer ripped for using 'Montreal Massacre' term for Loria's Marlins

(Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE,…)

December 30, 2011|By Juan C. Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel

Those of you who already have a copy of ESPN the Magazine’s NEXT issue, which hits newsstands today, were treated to a mixed bag of Marlins content. The magazine celebrated Mike Stanton among its NEXT athletes, and columnist Chris Jones wrote a piece critical of Marlins ownership. Jones predicted that baseball in South Florida was headed to a similar fate as Montreal as long as Jeffrey Loria was in the mix down here.

Jones expected some not so gracious feedback from Marlins fans, but the column brought him negative attention for an altogether different reason. As he explained in this addendum to the piece, Jones failed to give careful enough thought when using the term “Montreal Massacre, Part II.” Jones expressed plenty of regret, writing:

In my original version of this column, I made reference to the “Montreal Massacre, Part II.” I was referring to the Expos situation playing out again in Miami; however, “The Montreal Massacre” is also the common name of a mass shooting of women that occurred at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique in 1989. That never entered my mind. I wish it had. Obviously, I would never dream of comparing the loss of a baseball team to the murder of fourteen women, but I can totally understand how some readers might have thought that I was. It was a bad mistake on my part, and I apologize sincerely for it.

I’m more interested in the reaction to his contention Miami baseball will go the way of the Expos. Obviously, with a new stadium already built here, the Marlins are in no danger of being relocated anytime soon. The big question is whether the new ballpark will allow the Marlins to compete and field teams with represeantative payrolls year in and year out.

Right or wrong, everything the Marlins do is treated with some degree of skepticism. I do believe their ultimate goal is winning, and the front office realizes this can be a short honeymoon period if they don’t put a compelling product on the field immediately. That the contracts they gave to Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle are back-loaded should not be an indication they’re going to move those players if they don’t win a World Series in 2012 or 2013. In fact, the back-loaded deals might make it harder to trade those guys after two years.

My expectation if that the Marlins’ payrolls will continue to increase, and more importantly, they’ll no longer have to trade their homegrown talent because of financial reasons. Whether they sign Stanton to a long-term deal this season or in two years, you can bet Marlins fans won’t have to endure another Miguel Cabrera situation.